


The Sun Shines a Little Brighter Every Day

by Vyc



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Anxiety, Established Alphys/Undyne, F/F, Friendship, Gen, Hopeful Ending, Recovery, Science Nerding, Self Care, Self-Esteem Issues, Therapy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-04
Updated: 2018-11-19
Packaged: 2019-01-29 06:11:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 3,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12624918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vyc/pseuds/Vyc
Summary: Written for Alphys Appreciation Day: Recovery is long and difficult, especially when you have as much to recover from as Alphys. Luckily, she isn't doing this on her own.





	1. Alphys

**Author's Note:**

> As it says in the summary, I originally wrote this for an Alphys Appreciation Day event on tumblr. Ironically enough, my brain was too made of fuck for me to post it at the time, so here it is now, about a year late.
> 
> More tags and such will be added with each additional chapter. I honestly forget most of what I wrote, so, uh, it's going to be a surprise to me too.

"Okay. . . ." Alphys breathes out. "Okay. I'm going to do this."

She stares into the full-length mirror Mettaton gave her and meets the eyes of her reflection. She only flinches away once or twice, which is a lot better than when she first started her self-esteem course.

Next, she stands up as straight as she can, feet apart. She puts her hands on her hips, forcing herself past the need to crumple down and be safe. Then, she takes a big breath.

"You, Dr. Alphys, are, uh, amazing," she tells her reflection. "You are a g-good person who's trying hard every day. Y-You have a lot to offer, a-and you're going to g-go out and p-prove it."

By now she's almost memorised the little speech Papyrus and Undyne gave her; she barely had to glance at the card taped next to her mirror. And . . . she's starting to believe it, a little.

She takes in one more breath, holds her confident pose a few beats longer, then steps away. Time to go out and try not to make a liar of herself. 

She strides, not scurries, out her bedroom door without consciously noticing the change.


	2. Toriel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alphys tries to say no to the beautiful ex-Queen of Monsters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do so enjoy Alphys and her thirst. :Db

"It would not have to be a _long_ talk," Toriel assures her. "But it would be good for the human and monster children alike to see what a successful monster scientist looks like."

Alphys feels herself flushing, but she holds her tongue. The last time she had tried to argue with Toriel about her value as a scientist (or as a person), Toriel had been embarrasingly kind but firm. Alphys had been sure she'd caught on fire, she'd been so hot and sweaty.

And, um. It isn't that she's unhappy with Undyne—she really couldn't be happier! But Toriel . . . is, um. Is really. B-beautiful. . . . 

Between, uh, that and the way Toriel is the former Queen of Monsters, it's no wonder talking to her turns Alphys into a blobby wreck.

Alphys swallows, fights off the feeling of her impending doom, and tries to think of a way for her calendar to be full no matter which day Toriel suggests. Unsurprisingly, in the face of Toriel being Toriel, she fails. 

And now she needs to t-talk in front of children about h-how s-successful she is.

Is it too late to fake her own death?


	3. sans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting new people is always, ALWAYS terrible. ...Almost always.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because these two _have_ to be friends. Also, Alphys has stretched my knowledge of kaomoji to its very limit.

The first time Alphys went with Undyne to Papyrus' apartment on the Surface (as her girlfriend!), she wasn't sure what to expect. Well, no, that isn't true—she'd met Papyrus a few times before. He was very . . . everything, but she liked him. But she'd never met Papyrus' brother Sans before, and the thought of meeting someone new in an unfamiliar place had turned her into a sweatmonster.

When Undyne first drags her inside, Alphys hoped she would stick close. Not forever! Just for a minute or two. Instead, Undyne heads to the kitchen for snacks and Papyrus stomps into Sans' room, yelling about laziness. 

Alphys stays where she is. She _could_ follow Undyne, but wouldn't that be bad manners? Papyrus had told her to make herself at home, b-but that's just a thing people say, isn't it? He doesn't really mean it, does he? Or maybe he does. Does he?

To distract herself, Alphys totters over, picks up a joke book sitting on the table beside the couch, and opens it.

A shaky smile spreads across her features.

*

**Alphys:** Hey Sans, did you see the start of Robot Challenge? (=^.^=)  
**sans:** ya humans sure r bad at robots  
**Alphys:** Aw, come on. (▰˘v˘▰) I think they're doing great for not having any magic.  
**sans:** i guess  
**sans:** hey did u read that paper on gliese 581g yet  
**Alphys:** No, not yet! Undyne came over last night and we stayed up sooooooo late watching _Love Live_. (*^^*)  
**sans:** haha nice  
**sans:** lemme know wat u think  
**sans:** its pretty cool  
**Alphys:** I will! (=^.^=)

Alphys smiles as she sends off her message. This time, there's nothing anxious about the expression. Most of the time, meeting strangers is awful, but this time? All of the panic and fear and damp armpits had been so very, very worth it.


	4. PAPYRUS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With everything that's happened since the barrier was broken, Alphys expects Papyrus to forget about her and their training.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Papyrus _so much_ y'all.

After her "date" with Frisk, Alphys had expected Papyrus to forget about her. So much had happened— the barrier breaking had only been the start—and, well . . . she's not exactly memorable. Yes, he'd come with Undyne to help her move into her new apartment on the surface, but she'd assumed it was only because Undyne had told him to. After that, she'd expected to never see him again.

Except . . . practically her first friend request on all the human social media sites she joined was from "coolskeleton95." One day, when the thought of cooking even cup noodles was enough to make her want to hide in a trash can, Papyrus had turned up at her door, balancing a plate of spaghetti in one hand.

(It had been even worse than Undyne's cooking, somehow, but she'd eaten it anyway. She hadn't wanted to disappoint Papyrus, and it was still better than getting anything for herself.)

It's not until the night she confesses on one of her social media accounts that she's not feeling the greatest, and she gets the reply "STAY WHERE YOU ARE, ALPHYS! IT'S TIME TO CONTINUE OUR TRAINING!!!", that she at last brings herself to ask:

"Wh-Why are you d-doing this?"

Papyrus continues wrapping her in the giant fuzzy blanket he'd brought with more gentleness than she would have expected from a being seemingly made of pure energy. "I promised Undyne that I would train you and I am! It's very important!"

Her shoulders drop and her tail curls around her feet. "B-Because promises are important, r-right?"

"Yes! But also because _you_ are important!" He gives her shoulder a pat and picks up the DVD he'd borrowed from Frisk. She catches sight of the word "Totoro" printed on the cover.

" I . . . I'm really not," she says softly.

She can't look at him, not even when she hears him drop the DVD to come kneel in front of her.

"Alphys," he says, his hand settling on her shoulders, "you are _very_ important. There is no one in the entire world like you, human or monster. That makes you very great! And it makes me proud to have you in my friend zone!"

She's startled enough to look up. The expression on Papyrus's face is so genuine that, to her horror, her eyes well up.

She's crying in front of him! She can't do that! She needs to run—to hide—

But Papyrus is wrapping his arms around her, blanket and all, and it feels so _good_ that she collapses into him, gives up, and lets go.

When she's finished crying, Papyrus brings her a box of tissues and a glass of water. They watch his movie snuggled up on the couch and they both cry a little more, but in a good way.

At the end of the evening, as he's getting ready togo, she surprises herself by taking two tiny steps toward him. It's as far as she gets, but he understands and sweeps her up in one last hug.

"Goodbye, Alphys!" he says once he's put her down. "I will be back soon for more training! While I'm gone, don't forget to keep practising being kind to yourself!"

"I . . . I-I'll try."

It's all she can promise, but that seems to be enough for Papyrus, judging from the way he beams at her.

Later, when she picks up the DVD again (Papyrus had left it for her to watch with Undyne later), a small smile lightens her face. This isn't anything like the training she had expected Papyrus to give her. But, as strange as it is . . . she thinks she's going to like it.


	5. Undyne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is it. Undyne is about to break up with her, i-isn't she?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back. <3 There were a few...issues last month with someone reporting a fic I'd posted in 2015 with a Patreon link in it (I hadn't realised at the time that it was against the TOS and then forgot it was there). But I have control of my account again and am here with a new chapter!
> 
> Anxiety sure does fun things to your thought processes, doesn't it, Alphys?

"Hey, uh," Undyne says suddenly.

Alphys glances away from the credits of _Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon_ (the sub of course, _not_ that awful dub). To her surprise, she ends up looking at Undyne's ponytail, not her face.

"What, um, what is it?"

Strangely, Undyne still doesn't look at her. One hand rubs up and down a beautifully toned arm.

"Look. . . ."

Oh god, this is it. Undyne doesn't want to be with her anymore. She always knew this couldn't last— Undyne was too amazing and strong and gorgeous to want to have anything to do with a screwup like her. She's just been going on dates with her to be polite and now she—

"I wrote you a song."

Alphys stops breathing. "Wh-What?"

"I wrote you a song. On the piano. Do you want to hear it."

"U-Um, y-y-yes, if it isn't, um, if you don't . . . mind?"

"Of course I don't mind! I wouldn't have offered if I minded!"

Suddenly, Undyne leans in close enough to make Alphys' already fluttering heart quadruple its speed.

"Hey, are you all right? You've gone a weird colour."

"F-F-Fine, I'm fine!" Alphys manages. At least that had come out instead of "Kiss me!" She . . . hadn't been sure which one would.

"Uh-huh." Undyne narrows her eyes in that terrifying, incredible way—then grabs her by the hand and practically lifts her off the couch. "Come on, it's better close up."

"O-Okay!"

Undyne only lets her go long enough to pick her up and set her down on the piano bench. She joins her right after. And then, tucked against her girlfriend's side, Alphys is gifted with the most beautiful song imaginable.

She's the luckiest monster in the world. She has no idea how it happened. But it has, and she's going to savour every moment for as long as it lasts.


	6. Mettaton

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alphys patches up Mettaton after a particularly exciting show, and Mettaton is his usual overly enthusiastic self. She's not _really_ the best, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, all! Legendarium Ladies April on tumblr, in honour of all the women of J.R.R. Tolkien's works, happened again, so I was, uh. Preoccupied. But now I'm back! Three chapters to go, including this one. The end is in sight. <3

"Th-There." Alphys sets down her paintbrush. "All finished."

Immediately, Mettaton lifts his foot off her lap to get a look at her work. At his last show, he'd gotten so into his performance that one of his high kicks had gone straight into a concrete support pillar. He'd come away with a visible dent and chipped paint. The pillar hadn't been so lucky.

"T-Try not to m-move around too much—the paint's still a b-bit sticky."

"Thanks, darling." He points his toe in midair and beams. "You're the best!"

She gets up to clean her paintbrush and put away her blowtorch. "I-I'm really. . . . Y-you don't have to g-go overboard."

Suddenly, excessively strong metal hands grip her upper arms. She squawks and nearly drops the torch on her own foot (which wouldn't be nearly as easy to fix as his was).

"Alphys, sweetheart, look at me," he says.

She swallows, then does as he says. "W-What is it?"

"I'm not going overboard. You really are the best. I wouldn't come to you if you weren't. After all, this body deserves nothing less." He gives her arms a little squeeze. "Believe me, I haven't met anyone who could come close to matching your genius."

And . . . she's sweating. She'd wipe at her forehead, but Mettaton hasn't let her go yet.

"I-I thought you were . . . j-just being n-nice."

Mettaton chuckles—but it isn't a very happy sound. "Darling, you should know by now that I'm not that nice."

"S-Sure you are! D-Don't s-say things like that!"

His smile returns, but softer than before. "I don't know what I'd do without you. Thank you."

He lets go of her, but only so he can wrap his arms around her in a hug. She'd love to hug him back, except she's still holding the paintbrush and blowtorch. She leans into him instead.

When Mettaton pulls back, he grimaces. "I really hate to run out on you, but I have a rehearsal coming up. After it's done, though, why don't we go to that new ice cream place?"

"Th-That sounds good. I'll s-see you later!" And then, as he dashes off, she calls, "Watch—watch that foot!"

_The best_ , she thinks as she puts away her supplies. Even though that's just Mettaton exaggerating again . . . it still feels pretty nice.


	7. Asgore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Undyne and Papyrus are jogging buddies. Alphys has a buddy for...something very different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish I had a buddy like Alphys', man.

Nowadays, Alphys doesn't even jump when her phone plays the first OP of _Gyakuten Saiban_ , especially not on Thursdays. It's part of the routine—a comforting part, even.

"Hi—Hi Asgore."

"Howdy, Alphys," Asgore answers in his beautiful deep voice. Even if Alphys is very happy with Undyne these days . . . that doesn't mean she's gone deaf. "I'm waiting at the last set of lights before your apartment. Are you ready, or do you need more time?"

"I'm r-ready." This time, she'd only been standing on her mat at the front door, ready to go, for the last ten minutes.

"Then I'll see you soon—oh, there's the light!"

The call ends. Asgore is always careful to never drive and talk.

Even though it'll be another few minutes before Asgore arrives, Alphys heads downstairs to the foyer. When he pulls into view, she can't help but smile. 

Asgore was one of the first of her monster friends to earn his driver's license and had taken to driving well. There's been just one problem: finding a car large enough for him. At the moment, he's been driving a third-hand minivan with his head out the window—nothing made by humans with a roof has enough space for his horns. (She hopes he'll find a convertible he likes soon.)

"Howdy again!" he calls as she opens the door to the passenger side. "How are you doing today?"

"I . . . I'm all right," she answers. It's even mostly the truth. "H-How are you?"

Asgore does his best to smile at her, even though he has to wrench his neck around to do it. "I'm about the same, I would say." He signals to rejoin the road. "Have you seen Undyne this week?"

Their conversation continues during the drive with almost no awkward pauses. Asgore is really good at filling in silences (when it's needed), and she's getting a bit better at not leaving them.

For his part, Asgore is getting better at not trapping himself in the van; when they arrive at the health centre, this time, Alphys doesn't need to do any creative engineering to get him out.

They check in with the receptionist, although it's not exactly necessary: they're the only monsters in the waiting room. As usual, Alphys is called first. Asgore gives her a warm smile as she follows her therapist to the office.

It had been Undyne's idea for her and Asgore to go to therapy together. Both of them had been finding it hard to go on their own, in spite of Undyne's . . . enthusiastic encouragement. But having someone to go with? It makes things a lot easier. Just as Undyne and Papyrus are jogging partners, she and Asgore are therapy partners.

When her session is finished, she returns to the waiting room, Asgore puts away his knitting, and then it's her turn to give him a good-luck smile. Once he's gone, she pulls out her phone and gets right back to _Neko Atsume_.

Afterward, they make the short drive to their favourite tea shop. It's neither very large nor crowded, which is perfect for a post-therapy treat. That its scones and tea are delicious is a bonus.

Asgore drops her back home once they're finished. She gives him a wave and a "S-See you later!", then heads back up to her apartment. Therapy can be really hard sometimes, but facing it together with Asgore makes everything a lot easier.


	8. Frisk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alphys gives back to someone who has given all of them so very, very much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are. <3 Thank you very much for coming on this very drawn-out journey with me.
> 
> I have one other Undertale fic written and another one incomplete, but to be honest, I don't see myself writing very much more for the fandom (feel free to laugh at me when I have 20 fics posted). In general, with media that is deeply satisfying, I don't feel much of a need to write. And given how much happiness Undertale brought me--I think I'm good.
> 
> Remember, everyone, to stay determined. And take care of yourselves. <3

The moments between ringing a doorbell and the door being opened are among Alphys' absolute least favourite. They're just as bad as waiting for someone to pick up their phone. Even when she's standing on the front step of one of her favourite houses of all, her heart still ends up trying to beat its way out of her chest.

But once Frisk opens the door and gives her a cheerful, "Hi Alphys!", it's as if she were never anxious in the first place.

"H-Hi Frisk. H-How was school today?"

"It was good. I have a lot of science homework, though." They make a face.

"W-Well, that's what I'm here for," Alphys says as she steps inside.

Frisk takes her jacket and as usual the two of them head to the kitchen. Toriel is in the middle of shelling snails for supper; she gives Alphys a warm hello, which Alphys returns with markedly less stammering than when they had first met. Improvement comes a little more every day.

Frisk takes out their science textbook from their backpack. Marking their place is a piece of paper folded in half.

"We started a new section today on the water cycle, only Ms. Hafiz went really fast because we had a substitute for the last three days. So I had a lot of trouble understanding."

"That's all right," Alphys says as she sits down and slides her tail between the rungs of the chair. "W-We can take it slow. I-I've got all kinds of time."

Frisk smiles. "Thanks, Alphys. Oh" —they unfold their paper bookmark— "there's going to be a junior science fair in a couple of months. I haven't decided what I want to do yet, but . . . would you be able to help me?"

Alphys blinks. "D-Don't—Isn't. . . . Is Sans b-busy?"

When it comes to tutoring Frisk, Alphys handles the day-to-day lessons while Sans looks after the projects. She tends to get overwhelmed by anything worth a lot of marks and Sans sometimes has his bad days, so the division works out well.

"No, he can do it, but—I'd really like to do this together," Frisk explains. "Is that all right?"

Alphys beams. "O-Of course! It'll be f-fun!"

Frisk beams back, and for a moment, Alphys feels as tall as Undyne. "Thanks, Alphys."

"N-No problem. Okay, now. This is a p-pretty good illustration of the water cycle right h-here. . . ."

She explains, and as Frisk nods and asks questions, Alphys finds herself sitting up straighter. It feels so good to be able to help the one who had given her—and all of them—so much. It feels so good to have a life full of friends who care about her. Even if she isn't better all the way yet, she's getting there. Little by little, she's becoming the sort of monster she'd only ever dreamed of being. 

And, one day, with a lot of hard work and everyone's support, she'll be able to look at herself in the mirror and say, without hesitating, that she loves who she is.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me at [feltelures](http://feltelures.tumblr.com) on tumblr. <3


End file.
